Carroll Fisher panel to seek special session

Tuesday, May 11th 2004, 5:08 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A special session of the Legislature will be needed so that a legislative committee investigating Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher can complete its work, the panel's chairman announced Wednesday.

After meeting in a closed-door session for nearly two hours, the committee approved a motion to submit a preliminary report on its findings to House Speaker Larry Adair. Rep. Opio Toure, D-Oklahoma City, chairman of the committee, said the report would include a recommendation that a special session be called to give the panel more time.

The eight-member House committee is investigating whether Fisher committed any impeachable offenses. Fisher and his assistant, Opal Ellis, have been charged with felony counts related to operating a charity illegally and embezzling continuing education funds.

Adair spokesman Mike Fina said the Speaker plans to meet Wednesday with Gov. Brad Henry and recommend a special session.

``(Adair) has said from the beginning that he would accommodate Representative Toure however he could, and this is his recommendation, so we're going to go with it,'' Fina said.

If the committee votes to move forward with impeachment proceedings, a simple majority of the House of Representatives, 51 members, is needed to send an article of impeachment to the Senate.

The Senate would then serve as a court of impeachment presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. A board of managers composed of House members would serve as prosecutors in an impeachment trial.

The Oklahoma Constitution states that any elected state officer is subject to impeachment for willful neglect of duty, corruption in office, habitual drunkenness, incompetency, or any offense involving moral turpitude committed while in office.